Milk producers demand protection of domestic production

Cattle breeders and milk producers in Akkar staged a symbolic sit-in at the Army Martyr’s Square in Abdeh, to demand an end to the import of dairy products and the adoption of a national agricultural and economic strategy that will support Lebanese farmers and producers. On behalf of the protesters, Joseph Abdallah, warned that local factories cannot accommodate or sell the quantities they have produced for over three months now as a result of the competitive prices of imported products that are originally subsidized at the exporting country. Abdallah requested an adjustment of the trade agreements that infringe on the domestic economy, or at least, keep the dairy sector out. He asked the government to stop the import of liquid milk, processed labneh, white cheeses and mozzarella and to end or regulate the import of milk powder, as well as to directly sponsor dairy producers without the intervention of merchants. Within the same vein, milk producers in Zahleh also staged a protest yesterday along the highway and disrupted traffic for some time to demand a quick solution to the marketing problem. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, April 18, 2016)